The NBA Playoffs were meant to be the first in which Luka Doncic could get past the first round. The previous two years, first in the bubble and then in the atypical season that took place last year, they ran into the Clippers in that entry playoff and ended their vacation early. In the current course they had adjusted well, the work of Kidd, after the transfer of Kristaps Porzingis with which Dinwiddie and Bertans arrived. They have finished fourth in the Western Conference, with home court advantage, and are facing a Jazz team that has moved away from regularity in recent months and whose star pairing, Mitchell and Gobert, are permanently in question. . All very nice, but Doncic did not count on not being able to start the series. Due to an injury to his left leg he had to drop out of the first game and it remains to be seen if he will be able to play in the second, third or fourth. It is possible that it forces seen what was seen in this first duel.
Utah has loaded the factor in favor that Dallas had, which fell at home by 93-99. These playoffs they started with this series, despite being from the West, by Doncic, a guarantor of the international schedule that the NBA is promulgating so much on weekends; they do it with fall. 0-1 for those of Snyder, who knew how to play their tricks despite the fact that they were about to let a golden opportunity slip away.
The Mavericks knew how to play without their MVP for a few minutes, but they get too many for such an important moment in the campaign. Strenuous defense, with her they broke in the first part and knew how to lower the heart rate of the duel in the last eight minutes to have a minimal option. Mitchell was shut down during that first half and Gobert ended up having appeared on defense changing shots but shooting only one in play the entire game. Good job. On offense, however, ideas were lacking after the break and that monothematic thinking was evident in the decisive plays, in which they were able to score with ease to turn the score around. The meeting did not have the Slovenian touch and was of not much quality, but in those the Jazz were able to move to start a victory of double value and that puts the question on whether Luka Doncic should risk now or can we wait to see how he continues advancing the tie.